Which Acts of Worship Are Performed on the Night of Raghaib?
The Night of Raghaib (Laylat al-Raghāʾib) is observed as the night connecting the first Thursday of the month of Rajab to Friday. Below are compiled pieces of information regarding what should be done to prepare for and spiritually benefit from this blessed night.
Supplications and Acts of Worship Recommended for the Night of Raghaib
The Night of Raghaib marks the beginning of the Three Sacred Months and is the first Friday night of the month of Rajab. Although there are narrations that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) fasted in this month, there is no definitive information that he fasted every day of Rajab or performed a specific prayer on the Night of Raghaib (see Abū Dāwūd, Ṣawm, 55 [2430]; Ibn al-Jawzī, al-Mawḍūʿāt, 2/434-438, 576-580). However, as Rajab precedes the months of Shaʿbān and Ramaḍān, it is a period of spiritual preparation and thus a source of gratitude and joy for Muslims. Indeed, when the month of Rajab began, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) would supplicate: ‘O Allah! Bless us in Rajab and Shaʿbān and allow us to reach Ramaḍān.’ (Ṭabarānī, al-Muʿjam al-Awsaṭ, 4/189 [3939]; Bayhaqī, Shuʿab al-īmān, 5/348-349 [3534]).
Neither the Qur’an nor the hadiths specify a particular prayer or act of worship exclusive to the Night of Raghaib. However, Islamic scholars and friends of God (awliyāʾ) have made various recommendations to make this night meaningful.
Fasting During the Day
As preparation for the Night of Raghaib, it is recommended to fast on the Thursday that coincides with the first Friday night of Rajab. This fast may be observed on both Thursday and Friday, or it is also deemed appropriate to fast only on Friday.
Mahmud Sami Ramazanoğlu (may Allah sanctify his secret) states in his book “Prayers and Remembrances”: “On the Thursday preceding Laylat al-Raghāʾib, one should fast, break the fast with a few morsels at sunset, and after performing the evening prayer, perform twelve units (rakʿas) of supererogatory prayer, giving salām after every two units.”
Performing Missed (Qada) and Supererogatory (Nafila) Prayers
Prayer is an important means of benefiting from the spiritual atmosphere of the Night of Raghaib. The friends of God (awliyāʾ) have emphasized the importance of performing prayers on this night, and especially recommended that those who have missed obligatory prayers perform qada (make-up) prayers. Although neither the Qur’an nor the hadiths specify a particular act of worship for this night, Mahmud Sami Ramazanoğlu also recommends performing twelve units of supererogatory prayer in his work “Prayers and Remembrances.”
- How the Prayers Are Performed
In his book Prayers and Remembrances, Mahmud Sami Ramazanoğlu (may Allah sanctify his secret) describes the supererogatory prayer to be performed on the Night of Raghaib as follows:
On the Thursday preceding Laylat al-Raghāʾib, one should fast, break the fast with a few morsels at sunset, and after performing the evening prayer, perform twelve units (rakʿas) of supererogatory prayer, giving salām after every two units.
In each unit, after reciting al-Fātiḥa, one should recite Sūrat al-Qadr three times and Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ twelve times. Alternatively, Sūrat al-Qadr may be recited once and Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ three times.
When the prayer is completed, seventy times:
Recitation: